"Always in motion is the future..."

I've fallen behind in the scanning of my pre-digital photos, so whilst I tackle the closet full of material from the late 1990s through mid-2000s, please enjoy this sampling of Things To Come. Above, "Keys Color" - Key Largo, FL - 1993. Yes, that is indeed an old truck trailer.

"Another Planet, WV" - 1998. It started with quick jaunts in [Maris'] convertible, into the Appalachian foothills of Frederick and Washington Counties in Maryland in 1996. By 1998, we were deliberately getting as lost as we could in some of the most sparsely populated areas of West Virginia. The scene above presented itself just moments after we emerged from hours of driving through thick forest, so it struck us as a completely alien landscape.

Speaking of alien landscapes - "Beech Trees on Clingmans's Dome, TN" - 1998. We also attempted to reach the highest points of all the states within driving distance, and this photo was taken not far from Tennessee's high point.

Churches! Early in the top-down "Cruising Years," we photographed every church we could find. This was often exceedingly frustrating, since so many of them are draped with unsightly wires, wedged between ugly downtown buildings or obscured by obnoxious signage. This one, on US Rt. 11 in Virginia in 1998, was very cooperative.

As difficult as churches can be, covered bridges can be even worse, usually due to signs or trees. This photographer-friendly structure is "Covered Bridge #32" in Groveton, New Hampshire - 1998.

Lighthouses! I keep promising lighthouses, so here's a peek at the many dozens of east coast lights we've shot so far. Above is "Bass Harbor Head Cupola," Bass Harbor, Maine - 2004.

"Joe on American Shoals Light, Florida" - 2000. [Maris] shot this from a wildly pitching little 17-footer while our guide threatened to take off with her, leaving me stranded miles from the nearest Florida Key in the middle of our honeymoon.

"Fort Jefferson Moat Wall" - Dry Tortugas, FL - 2000. This fort is about 30 minutes (by seaplane) west of Key West, but it might as well be in the middle of the Caribbean. This is a contender for the title of My Happy Place.

Oh, and we've got PANDAS! [Maris] and I are well-nigh obsessed with these animals, and have been visiting the current residents of the National Zoo's Panda House since they moved in. We have eleventy frillion shots (and hours of video) of all three bears. Above, Mei and Tian's cub Tai Shan hones his climbing skills in January 2006.

THANKS FOR HANGING OUT WITH ME!
More soon...